A few weeks ago we went down to southern Illinois to visit the family farm. Every time I go down I keep forgetting how many cool things there are to see down there. Like Heron Pond, the northernmost cypress swamp in the US, as well as Garden of the Gods and Cave in Rock. There’s also this far out hippie colony where creative types sell their art and stoners sell the stuff they pick up at garage sales.If you're interested, here are some photos featuring some of the cooler things we saw down there:

Anyway, back to the hippie stores. As I was perusing the strobe light display in on of them, my son struck 1980s gold. There, in a basket were trading cards: Dick Tracy, Ninja Turtles, Batman and... New Kids On The Block.I’ve mentioned New Kids On The Block before in my post Teen Idols Through the Ages. It was a boy band that formed in 1984 and, man, were they ever HOT. With chart topping songs like “The Right Stuff” and “Hangin’ Tough,” the five boys from Boston -- Jordan Knight, Jonathan Knight, Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood and Joey McIntyre -- had girls across the land in a frenzy.Back then they didn’t have the internet. Fans got their info from magazines and trading cards -- sweet trading cars -- dreamy pictures....detailed info... rapture! The KNOTB ones were from 1989. I’ve got to say, they’re quite a time capsule. That, of course, translates to hysterical, which means I had to have them. So I plunked down $1.50 and skipped out of the store.

Weird Author

My name's Murphy, Janene Murphy, and I'm a weird mom.

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